The Beast Within -- A Guide To Blue Mage

Want to share that experience? I'm interested in how you would test that.

My guess is that the server reads it in as one block but that doesn't mean it necessarily executes it as a single block depending on how the code is.

Again, it doesn't happen often enough for me to justify changing any behavior- but it's incredibly obvious when spells finish casting in the wrong nuking gear, typically due to a Quick Magic proc that didn't properly switch. It tends to happen more often when lag is higher (instances, high volumes of monsters in one spot, etc).

Spreadsheet update is now live.

-Added a version number to the name (currently 3.1.0) so that users can more easily verify they have the latest copy.
-Fixed Excel compatibility, broke it again, fixed it again...
-Resolved a number of issues with LibreOffice compatibility.
-Added a CustomAugs page in which users can optionally enter augments for more convenient access. Supports weapons and visible slots, but does not currently include Ambuscade capes since augments for those are pretty straightforward and not subject to RNG. If you rename a piece of equipment on this page (default names are deliberately generic/nondescriptive), you will need to rename the same piece on the Gear Lists page.
-Added Boost-INT and Indi/Geo-STR, DEX, and INT.
-Updated song values and increased song+ limit for each song category. Default song+ values are still set at their old values in this version, so you should take a moment to figure out how much song+ your local BRD will have on each song category if you intend to enable BRD buffs.
-Added support for Minuet JPs.
-You can now customize individual COR rolls and GEO buffs with their relevant enhancements (CC/job bonuses, EA/BoG/BoG+EA/Bolster).
-Sequence mainhand now overrides your Requiescat merit count for that set.
-Added some more clubs to the gear list.
-Added Judgment and Black Halo to the club WS list.
-Various minor bugfixes and optimizations.

Apologies for the delays in getting this update out.

A few weeks ago there was a brief discussion regarding the use of Tempus Fugit alongside Jhakri +1 gear and how it might compare to NQ Amalric. I felt this merited a more in-depth analysis, so I ran some numbers.

There are three primary sets of potential interest here: Amalric x4 + Yamabuki-no-Obi, Jhakri +1 x4 + Tempus Fugit, and Amalric hands/legs + Jhakri +1 body/feet + Tempus Fugit. I assumed 2100 JP (favors Jhakri +1), relatively good gear in other slots, no food or outside buffs (most likely favors Amalric), and a nuking-oriented spellset (full MAB traits etc, favors Jhakri +1). All spells assume no BA. Numbers were run with and without vorseals, but the results didn't change much either way. Macc was ignored. HQ Amalric is significantly better than any of the aforementioned combinations, so I'll spare you any comparisons to that set.

Subduction: Full Amalric is generally the worst option, though at very high dINT values (very low target INT) full Jhakri +1 may fall slightly below full Amalric. Mixed set and full Jhakri +1 are generally comparable; mixed is better at high dINT while Jhakri +1 pulls ahead at low dINT. Amalric hands + 3x Jhakri is better still, and given Subduction's low base recast you can even throw in Yamabuki-no-Obi while maintaining <3s recast time with Erratic Flutter up (further reductions are nullified by forced delay). Acuity Belt +1 is slightly ahead of Yamabuki-no-Obi if you're in the #1 ranked unity.

Searing Tempest, Anvil Lightning, Blinding Fulgor: Jhakri +1 is notable for its substantially higher STR and DEX. Jhakri +1 > mixed > Amalric NQ.

Entomb, Silent Storm, Scouring Spate: WSC values are pretty close here (Amalric wins slightly on Entomb, ties on Silent Storm, and loses slightly on Scouring Spate). Amalric NQ > mixed > Jhakri +1

Spectral Floe: Mixed set is your winner here. Amalric beats Jhakri +1 at high dINT, but loses at low dINT. If you're in the #1 unity, switching Yamabuki-no-Obi for Acuity Belt +1 puts Amalric in the lead.

Tenebral Crush: Amalric > mixed > Jhakri, but the mixed set has one potentially notable stat going for it here: haste. Without Herculean Helm's 8% haste, Amalric drops to 14% haste and Jhakri +1 drops to 17/18% for NQ/HQ belt. The mixed set retains 23/24% haste. It's also the only set that (over)caps gear haste on the other spells, as 4x Amalric + Herc head is only 22% haste. Acuity Belt +1 in rank 1 unity also (barely) beats Yamabuki-no-Obi here.

Thoughts on applications of the new AF+2/3 set bonus:

-AF+3 head is now BLU's highest macc headpiece (beating Amalric +1 path D) when paired with the legs, which were already BIS for that function.

-AF+3 body+feet is now BLU's highest acc combo for those slots. Hands also beat out Adhemar +1 path A in that slot when the set bonus is applicable, but it's a ~3 acc difference. I'd still favor Adhemar +1 for max acc sets unless you rock path B fulltime.

-Various combinations of Assimilator's +3, Jhakri +1, and Carmine Mask +1 path D are extremely strong for physical debuffs. If you want a lot of macc with a reasonable amount of acc, Assimilator's head/body/legs +3 and Jhakri hands/feet +1 is the way to go (~259 acc, 232 macc, 172 INT). From there you can adjust with Carmine Mask +1 and Jhakri Slops +1 for a bump in acc with minor macc losses (319 acc, 186 macc, 171 INT), or go full acc with Carmine Mask +1, Assimilator's body/hands/feet +3, and Jhakri Slops +1 (391 acc, 143 macc, 140 INT).

Moonbeam/Moonlight Cape has pretty much settled my mind on how to gear White Wind for the moment (5x Telchine with curepot+8 augments caps curepot, and can also get up to HP+50 per piece). I could still work on optimizing a self-cure WW set if I really wanted to, but that's usually not my focus when using WW. I'm okay with leaving that aside for now.

With that dealt with, I'm looking to optimize my Magic Fruit gear. If possible I'd like to cap cure power with full curepot/curerec... but as it turns out all my options fall just short in a DD spellset, barring vorseals or the like. Base cure tops out around 600 HP; maximum base cure is 610.

As such, I think this is what I'm going with:

ItemSet 135499

At least 6% curepot aug on the hands, at least 16% curerec aug between the other three Telchine pieces, as much MND as I can reasonably get on all four, and MND/curepot on Rosmerta's Cape. Leviathan Ring +1 is interchangeable with Stikini Ring +1. With perfect MND augs and a dyed cape, this set would cure for about 1170 HP. Plenilune Embrace would hit about 1365.

edit: Thinking about it more... With max curerec augs you could do Luminary Sash+Vocane(+1)/Kunaji or Chuq'aba Belt+MND ring for a slight increase in power that may or may not squeeze out one more HP. I'd lean towards inventory conservation (and not having to pursue perfect augments) since Gishdubar has other stats of relevance, but it's also noteworthy for capping curerec while allowing use of Hachirin-no-Obi if you use Plenilune Embrace and get a day/weather proc. Worth some thought, especially for Vocane users.

personally, I use Gyve Trousers in my legs slot, which are marginally "worse" than Telchine in that you get less +HP out of them, but I also hate feeding stones into the random augment chipper if I can avoid it. further, Gyve has the advantage of 10% potency allowing for less than perfect in other areas.

That set's actually overcapped on both curepot and curerec if you get perfect augs. Convenient in that you don't need perfect augs, but absolutely infuriating if trying to optimize gear because nothing lines up in a way that you can properly capitalize on. 1% extra curepot on Phalaina for instance would let me drop Lebeche for another MND ring, or if curerec capped at 8% on Telchine like curepot does then I'd only need two pieces and could use path B Carmine Mask +1. Either one would get me more than half the remaining power I need to cap, and both would allow me to cap.

In any event, I already have MND+9 curepot+7 hands, capped sabots, and a curepot Rosmerta's, so all my curepot augments are good to go for Fruit/Plenilune (plus I have all the accessories). It's the curerec pieces I'll have to make, but I also need to make enhancing duration pieces since I'm regearing RDM. Conveniently, they're the same pieces and share stones (duskdim) with MND+ augments.

edit: I just noticed you were talking about White Wind. It's an option, as are sabots, Vrikodara Jupon, some of the accessories, etc. All depends on how hard you want to push it; 5x Telchine with relevant HP accessories and the new NQ cape should break 1300 HP in non-Escha zones even with less than perfect augments.

Can improve sudden lunge potency? i'm getting mixed results with my set on same mob, sometime full resists sometime last forever. I have huge macc in my set and enough acc to land it but time stuned varies a lot, blu skill maybe?

I don't believe. The duration of the 'stun' effect from sudden lunge doesn't appear to follow the typical conventions of 'single state' dSTAT spells, nor resist state spells which both have a duration basis in MAcc, skill, or a particular dSTAT. All you can do is land it, and the game will pick a random duration up to 25~ seconds (possibly capping at 30). You can test this for yourself by venturing out to stun trash mobs you're 40 or 50 levels above. Mobs that you should be completely absolutely positively capped against in every imaginable way, and you'll see the exact same thing you would fighting xp content: It either doesn't proc, or it procs and lasts for some random duration.

Basically, we don't know. It's possible that there are multiple resist states underneath the randomized duration (similar to drain/aspir), in which case you'd always have some randomness but could potentially force better average results through increased macc until you had capped magic hitrate. It's also plausible that most relevant NMs have a reduced maximum duration. Unfortunately testing that is a pain, especially for a debuff like stun where 1) cumulative resistances are commonplace and 2) the "simplest" test vehicles (inert objects, ie fortifications, lair reive nests, and colonization reive barriers) are immune.

When blu has 1200 job points, does it have Fast cast2 or 3 (15% or 20%)?

assuming it has at least 8 points set twards one fast cast trait.

FC2

Should be FC3 at the 2nd trait boost mark right? The instant a trait is obtained, it's automatically pushed to Tier 3 (trait +2)

BLU starts at a different tier than RDM does on FC.

BLU's first level of FC is a "FC0" trait that's weaker than RDM's first level of the trait, somehat reminiscent of our weaker DA trait.

I'm pretty sure JTB2 doesn't give you FC3, it's FC0+2, so FC2

Test:
Blu/RNG -(No FC) - Barrier Tusk - Recast: 90s
Blu/RNG -(Erratic w/JTB2) - Barrier Tusk - Recast: 83
Blu/RDM49 -(/rdm FC) - Barrier Tusk - Recast: 83
Blu/RNG - (Erratic + Auroral + Wind Breath w/JTB2) - Barrier Tusk - Recast: 81

83/90 = .922222222 > .07777 r/c factor * 2 = .1555 > 15 = FC2
83/90 = .922222222 > .07777 r/c factor * 2 = .1555 > 15 = FC2
81/90 = .9 > .1 r/c factor * 2 = .2 > 20 = FC3

The 7% figure is accurate, just a typo on the tier level.

So a master blu, with just Erratic Flutter Set, requires 65 FC from other sources to cap

Also, regarding FastCast set, another option is to make a FastCast +10 Cape using Ambuscade. Yea, I know, ANOTHER CAPE... But that should be the highest amount of fast cast available on a cape for blu by +6, or atleast it bests Swith Cape +1 by that much. Doing that, for example, one could then achieve 64FC (If you're wielding atleast one Colada) without using waist, rings, ears, or ammo slots; freeing those 6 slots for spell interruption negation gear, or even just consolidating gear for the inventory space.

Even still, it makes a good bridge if you're working on collecting FC gear, because you can always convert it later with an Abdhalis Needle. However, if you throw on 30INT and 20Magic Acc/Magic DMG it could pull double duty as a decent alternative to cornflower cape on added effect spells and enfeebles.

Jhakri +2 thoughts:

-Head is now competitive with Herculean Helm for nuking purposes. Lower haste and probably less FC, but similar damage output to non-DM augs and better macc. Assimilator's Keffiyeh +3 still has higher macc (especially with set bonus against Regal Earring), but also lower damage output.

-Body and feet are BIS for macc. Hands/feet are the best overall acc/macc pieces. Body is a tossup, could go with either Assim+3/Regal Earring (slight acc advantage) or Jhakri+2/Mache+1 (slight macc advantage).

-Hands are obviously quite good for single-hit WS.

-NQ Amalric is pretty much dead for nuking purposes, aside from bursting in the hands. Legs are comparable for certain spells (Scouring Spate, Entomb, dMND spells), but Jhakri+2 wins on everything else.

-Ring is trash.

Tentative physical debuff sets, imagine Jhakri+2 in blank slots until XIAH's database gets updated:

ItemSet 132918
~1150 acc with a 269 mainhand, Almace, 2100JP, acc bonus IV, and 5/5 PP merits.

ItemSet 350329
~1280 acc under the same conditions. Switching to Jhakri+2/Mache+1 puts you at about 1270 acc.

I'll probably do hands/feet>body/legs>head.

Just FYI, it appears that the Jhakri set bonus is 3 FC from best I can tell from casting Death a bunch on mobs, but I have only tested it with 2 PC.

Recast of Diamondhide with
Diamondhide : 90s
w/ Jhakri ring, Jhakri hands +2: 89s >> 2~3% FC
w/ Jhakri body+2, ring, hands: 86 >>> 6~7% FC (Body has 1% haste)

where is this spread sheet found at?

It's linked in the OP.

Dual Nibiru Cudgels is still our best option.

How would one gear for Tenebral Crush (30% INT 30% MND 30% VIT) and Blinding Fulgor (30% STR 30% DEX 30% AGI)?

They're both 2.0 dINT, so aside from elemental affinity gear they gear more or less the same as most other modern BLU nukes.

Gotcha, thanks!

got a question that not sure the answer to nor is Zuidar from Bismark:

Expiacion SET:
ItemSet 338930

Why use Belt / Neck and not Fotia Gorget / Fotia Belt (IT does say WSD+10% on those items)

we are unsure of the answer but i been doing nice dmg with Expiacion :D

and are there any other updates that can be done on it now with Skirmish +2 armor Asides Hands +1 ~> +2 ?